The assignee of the present invention manufactures and deploys spacecraft for, inter alia, communications and broadcast services. Market demands for such spacecraft have imposed increasingly stringent requirements on spacecraft payload operational capacity. For example, rigid antenna reflector systems characterized by large reflector apertures and long focal lengths are increasingly needed to improve payload operational capacity.
Launch vehicle compatibility is a second requirement faced by a spacecraft designer. The increased performance requirements are only advantageously met if compatibility with conventional, commercially available launch vehicles is maintained. Accordingly, a spacecraft, as configured for launch, is desirably made compatible with the mass and fairing envelope constraints of such launch vehicles as, for example, Ariane V, Atlas XEPF, Proton, and Sea Launch. Commonly-assigned patent application Ser. No. 13/101,944, titled “High Capacity Broadband Satellite”, and Ser. No. 13/026,175, titled “Satellite Having Multiple Aspect Ratios,” disclose additional information regarding the above-mentioned problems, and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a spacecraft capable of supporting higher-gain rigid antenna reflector systems while still fitting within the fairing envelopes of existing launch vehicles.